Quantum Chemistry in a Novel Hybrid Dipolar Atom-Ion Mixture
Abstract
Merging trapped ions with cold atomic clouds offers intriguing prospects for quantum chemistry and many-body quantum simulations. Especially when going beyond the standard alkali atomic baths by using lanthanide atoms, opportunities arise to study the interplay between the intermediate-range atom-ion interaction and the tunable long-range dipolar atom-atom interactions. However, the high total angular momentum of the ground-state of open-shell lanthanides, e.g. 5I8 for dysprosium, affects the atom-ion potential. Here, we discuss the implications for long- and short-range atom-ion interactions and present a novel apparatus which combines an ytterbium ion (Yb+) with dipolar dysprosium (Dy) atoms. We highlight the consequences of this novel Dy-Yb+ mixture for observing buffer gas cooling, (non-) radiative charge transfer, and three-body recombination. While the energy-averaged rates are dominated by radiative charge transfer, particularly radiative association, we find that three-body recombination can compete with molecular-ion formation at Dy densities n≳ 1012 cm−3. This competition is further enhanced by the expected non-thermal distribution of ion energies. These processes could be experimentally characterised through controlled variation of the atom-ion interaction parameters, providing a direct test of our theoretical predictions.
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BibTeX
@misc{galantini2026quantum,
title = {{Quantum Chemistry in a Novel Hybrid Dipolar Atom-Ion Mixture}},
author = {Claudia Galantini and Mateo Londoño and Luc Verwaal and Edgar J. D. Vredenbregt and Jesús Pérez-Ríos and Rianne S. Lous},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.26859},
eprint = {2609.26859},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26859},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Quantum Chemistry in a Novel Hybrid Dipolar Atom-Ion Mixture
AU - Claudia Galantini
AU - Mateo Londoño
AU - Luc Verwaal
AU - Edgar J. D. Vredenbregt
AU - Jesús Pérez-Ríos
AU - Rianne S. Lous
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.26859
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26859
AB - Merging trapped ions with cold atomic clouds offers intriguing prospects for quantum chemistry and many-body quantum simulations. Especially when going beyond the standard alkali atomic baths by using lanthanide atoms, opportunities arise to study the interplay between the intermediate-range atom-ion interaction and the tunable long-range dipolar atom-atom interactions. However, the high total angular momentum of the ground-state of open-shell lanthanides, e.g. ^5I_8 for dysprosium, affects the atom-ion potential. Here, we discuss the implications for long- and short-range atom-ion interactions and present a novel apparatus which combines an ytterbium ion (Yb^+) with dipolar dysprosium (Dy) atoms. We highlight the consequences of this novel Dy-Yb^+ mixture for observing buffer gas cooling, (non-) radiative charge transfer, and three-body recombination. While the energy-averaged rates are dominated by radiative charge transfer, particularly radiative association, we find that three-body recombination can compete with molecular-ion formation at Dy densities n≳ 10^12 cm^−3. This competition is further enhanced by the expected non-thermal distribution of ion energies. These processes could be experimentally characterised through controlled variation of the atom-ion interaction parameters, providing a direct test of our theoretical predictions.
ER -